Liberal Democracy Fostering Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Liberal Democracy Fostering Development - Essay Example This report declares that the civil societies are useful in fostering development. They are responsible for setting the priorities of the most vulnerable in the society. With liberal democracy, according to Sen, civil societies can play their roles effectively. Democracy will allow civil societies expand their choices in the way they make the needs of the most vulnerable people in the society know. This will enable the vulnerable individuals in the society to promote their freedom from poverty, fear, and violence. Sen’s argument is that, with democracy, there would be a climate where people can complain, speak out and argue. There would be promotion of transparency. Things will we be happening in the government and individuals will be aware of. This paper makes a conclusion that from Sen's perspective, liberal democracy such as the focus on rights has proven to be important. However, in some cases such as China and South Korea, this is not the case. The most important thing to note is how liberal democracy can foster development. For example, in developing countries that are democratic, how has democracy assisted the people both socially and economically? There is a need for more participation by people in movements that advocate change of political and economic system. This paper partially agrees with Sen’s views that liberal democracy fosters development, economically, either politically or socially. Nonetheless, there is growing attack on liberal democracy because it does not allow participation and co-operation at its centre.

Observation paper Essay Example for Free

Observation paper Essay The Child’s name I have chosen for this observation paper is a 5 year old female named Janiya, she seems to be a happy normal child. Her mother and father are of African American descent. Her mother and father are married yet separated. Janiya lives home with her mom and aunt, her mom keeps her toys inside her room where Janiya regularly accesses her bedroom and bring toys in and out as she pleases, as well as plays inside her room when she wants. Her toys consist of a bike, baby dolls, Barbie dolls, tablet, computer, and PlayStation 4. These are the toys Janiya plays with everyday according to her mom. Observation Janiya is a very bright little girl with a huge personality she loves attention and loves to watch cartoons and play with her toys. The observations I made were in the living room, kitchen and her bedroom and observed her for 30 minutes. Janiya is a very creative little girl adapting to her surroundings and nothing was never too high for her because she climbed on top of furniture when she wanted to reach things that was too high for her I seen Janiya climb on top a chair to get some chips out of the cabinet she used her physical strength to pull her weight up until she was able to reach them. I was amazed at how smart she was when it came to thinking of a way to get things she wanted instead of asking for assistance anything she needs access to and is too high for her to reach she climbs on furniture to reach it or asks her mom or aunt to get it if she couldn’t according to her mom, Janiya is displaying her gross motor skills. She then came in the living room and proceeded to change the channel to Nick Jr. and Sponge Bob Square pants was on and Janiya started singing the theme song standing up in the chair dancing and singing showing off her cognitive and functional play skills trying to do what she sees on tv and also displaying her language development. Janiya’s mom then walked from her bed room in the living room explaining to Janiya that she has to help her with her homework  before she watches cartoons so she needs to go to her bedroom to retrieve her book bag Janiya is in the kindergarten. Janiya runs in her room to get her book bag and quickly came back into the living room with it displaying her gross motor skills again. Her mom pulls out her homework which consists of writing her first name 10 times and writing her last name 10 times she gives Janiya verbal cues on writing her name writing Janiya write and telling her which letter to write next she is encoding this information inside Janiya’s memory and she will eventually have this information in her long term memory and will be able to write her name without verbal cues in the future right now she is now processing information and developing her memory. After doing her homework Janiya went in her room and bought out her dolls and begin playing with herself in the living room displaying dramatic play I heard her talking to her dolls and pretending that was her baby. This was the end of my 30 minute observation; Janiya seems as if she is coming along well with displaying skills, language, playing and her imag ination. She was really a bright little girl and I enjoyed observing her and seeing the changes children go through to develop most of their skills that are going to be used every day when they get older! Observation Paper: Janiya Psychology 221 Michelle Bennett The Child’s name I have chosen for this observation paper is a 5 year old female named Janiya, she seems to be a happy normal child. Her mother and father are of African American descent. Her mother and father are married yet separated. Janiya lives home with her mom and aunt, her mom keeps her toys inside her room where Janiya regularly accesses her bedroom and bring toys in and out as she pleases, as well as plays inside her room when she wants. Her toys consist of a bike, baby dolls, Barbie dolls, tablet, computer, and PlayStation 4. These are the toys Janiya plays with everyday according to her mom. Observation Janiya is a very bright little girl with a huge personality she loves attention and loves to watch cartoons and play with her toys. The observations I made were in the living room, kitchen and her bedroom and observed her for 30 minutes. Janiya is a very creative little girl adapting to her surroundings and nothing was never too high for her because she climbed on top of furniture when she wanted to reach things that was too high for her I seen Janiya climb on top a chair to get some chips out of the cabinet she used her physical strength to pull her weight up until she was able to reach them. I was amazed at how smart she was when it came to thinking of a way to get things she wanted instead of asking for assistance anything she needs access to and is too high for her to reach she climbs on furniture to reach it or asks her mom or aunt to get it if she couldn’t according to her mom, Janiya is displaying her gross motor skills. She then came in the living room and proceeded to change the channel to Nick Jr. and Sponge Bob Square pants was on and Janiya started singing the theme song standing up in the chair dancing and singing showing off her cognitive and functional play skills trying to do what she sees on tv and also displaying her language development. Janiya’s mom then walked from her bed room in the living room explaining to Janiya that she has to help her with her homework before she watches cartoons so she needs to go to her bedroom to retrieve her book bag Janiya is in the kindergarten. Janiya runs in her room to get her book bag and quickly came back into the living room with it displaying her gross motor skills again. Her mom pulls out her homework which consists of writing her first name 10 times and writing her last name 10 times she gives Janiya verbal cues on writing her name writing Janiya write and telling her which letter to write next she is encoding this information inside Janiya’s memory and she will eventually have this information in her long term memory and will be able to write her name without verbal cues in the future right now she is now processing information and developing her memory. After doing her homework Janiya went in her room and bought out her dolls and begin playing with herself in t he living room displaying dramatic play I heard her talking to her dolls and pretending that was her baby. This was the end of my 30 minute observation; Janiya seems as if she is coming along well with displaying skills, language, playing and her imagination. She was really a bright little girl and I enjoyed observing her and seeing the changes children go through to develop most of their skills that are  going to be used every day when they get older!

The Targeting Rule in College Football Essay -- Reducing Head Injurie

The targeting rule in college football could be the â€Å"most significant rule† change ever made in the game (Matter). According to Greg Johnson of the NCAA, the rule was passed by the Football Rules Committee of the NCAA in February of 2013 to be implemented with the 2013 fall football season and is consistent with the committees’ continued attempt to address player safety. The new rule now places a tougher penalty on the defensive player for dangerous contact with the offensive player, notably direct helmet-to-helmet hits, or hits aimed above the shoulders of the offensive player. This direct, helmet-to-helmet contact is known as targeting. Although the implementation of the new targeting rule is controversial, it will help to reduce the number of serious lifelong head injuries to football players and make college football a safer sport. The targeting rule will help to reduce the number of head injuries received by football players, both in college and the NFL, that lead to lifelong health issues. As Geoff Calkins from The Commercial Appeal notes in his article about Brian McCrary, there are many former college football players who suffer from moderate to severe brain damage later in life due to playing college football and having received targeted hits. The long-term effects of these head injuries suffered in the game are just being understood and acknowledged (Johnson). Andy Staples, from Sports Illustrated, notes that the targeting rule is the committees attempt to recognize the problem and help to make football a safer sport. The main purpose of the rule is to â€Å"save players’ brains† from permanent damage, with the secondary purpose to help make the sport safer (Couch). Football is a contact sport, but with this ... ...13. Web. 19 October 2013. Matter, Dave. â€Å"SEC official calls latest targeting rule dramatic.† St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 18 July 2013: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 19 October 2013. Mihoces, Gary. â€Å"More padding the issue of concussions and better helmets.† USA Today Sports. 23 August 2013. Web. 29 November 2013. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2013 and 2014 NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations. Indianapolis: NCAA, 2013. Print. Reardon, Dave. Editorial, Further Review Column. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. 21 July 2013: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 19 October 2013. Shapiro, Leonard. â€Å"Appealing and Appalling.† The Commercial Appeal. 27 October 2013. 3V. Print. Staples, Andy. â€Å"New targeting rule well intended, but bound to spark controversy.† Sportsillustrated.com/college-football. 23 July 2013. Web. 19 October 2013.

America’s Involvement In the Spanish-American War Essay

In the late 19th century the United States began to dramatically reshape their foreign policies, and they soon found themselves in a bloody war that would shape the future of the country for years to come. When the United States was first created George Washington recommended limited foreign involvement, this all changed in 1823 with the Monroe Doctrine. This document set out the entire western hemisphere as the United States sphere of influence. However, at the time the Unites States did not have the power or the navy to back up this demand, until the late 1880’s when support for imperialism began to take off. People began to support imperialism because all other great powers had empires, strategic objectives became important, expanding the foreign market would support the economy, and social Darwinism was applied to nations, which meant that only the countries with the greatest wealth and largest empires would survive. As the 19th century came to a close, the United States saw an opportunity to put the Monroe Doctrine and a new sense of imperialism into action. At the time, Cuba was under going serious change, and was in the middle of a civil war with Spain. In 1895 a war escalated in Cuba to the point that 500, 000 Cubans were put into camps because of the reconcentracion policy.1 This policy had disastrous consequences causing nearly 200, 000 people in the camps to die because of the lack of proper food, sanitary conditions, and medical care.2 The policy generated severe anti-Spanish sentiment in the United States. As anger continued to rise among the American people, short-tempers eventually shattered into a gruesome war. The United States’ own President McKinley said that he â€Å"had no desire to go to war with Spain†, thus one must ask what were the overwhelming factors that pushed the American nation into another war?3 Historians have suggested numerous reasons for the United States to enter into war. Many authors, such as Ivan Musicant4 and Frank Friedel5, believe the Yellow Press and their extraordinary stories pushed the American public to their limits, forcing the McKinley administration to finally intervene in Cuba. However, writers such as Wayne Morgan suggested that the United States pursued a peaceful policy toward Cuba, attempting to force Spain to reform the island, but the Spanish failure to do so provoked American intervention.6 The overwhelming causes of the Spanish-American War can be attributed to a combination of five factors listed in order of importance. The Yellow Press, American economic interests, McKinley’s political agenda, and the sinking of the Maine. With these four factors in mind, the American motives for war will be accurately examined. When the American people saw an opportunity to make money by investing in Cuba’s sugar plantations, they immediately took advantage of the opportunity. However, once they saw their economic interests were endangered by the civil war in Cuba, American people wanted to protect their valuable investments. One of the main reasons Cuban Nationalists revolted against Spain was because they thought the U.S. would likely come to their aid. They had good reason to think this because at the time the United States was investing increasing amounts of money into Cuban sugar production, $50 million by 1895 and conducted trade with Cuba worth $100 million annually. The United States also had a strangle hold on the Cuban economy with 87% of all Cuban exports going to the United States in 1890.7 This newly found American-Cuban relationship also had its negative sides; it brought with it an increasing concentration on sugar production. As the Cuban revolution continued, more and more sugar plantations were being destroyed, disrupting trade, and seriously hurting the American investments. Not only would Americans be able to protect these investments if they went to war, but they would be able to acquire other Spanish colonies, for example the Philippines, and expand their foreign market. As Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge said, â€Å"Free Cuba would mean a great market for the United States; it would mean an opportunity for American capital; it would mean an opportunity for development of that splendid island.†8 Freeing the rebellious nation would not only protect the withstanding American investments, but would also allow Americans to spread their influence around the Caribbean nations and capture the foreign market. America’s future as an industrial power depended on foreign markets for American products. One of the major causes of the Spanish-American War was the American public opinion, which was extremely negative towards the Spaniards. The articles written by the Yellow Press drastically swayed this public opinion. The Yellow Press was a newspaper war in New York City between William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. These writers sensationalized the news and often exaggerated the truth and provoked a demand for intervention in Cuba. The American public used these newspapers as their information center for all events that were occurring in Cuba. Hearst and Pulitzer were able to greatly benefit from influencing Americans, increasing their readership from 400, 000 in 1897, to over 1 million readers during the Spanish-American War in 1898.9 Whatever Hearst or Pulitzer had to say was accepted by Americans without thought to the information’s validity. A good example of the Hearst’s Journal exaggerating the truth is an article on the Spanish General Weyler, â€Å"There is nothing to prevent his carnal animal brain from running riot with itself in inventing tortures and infamies of blood debauchery†.10 Biased information like this would be handed to the American public day after day, forcing the people to believe that the situation in Cuba required intervention. On February 8, 1898, Hearst once again added fuel to the fire with the publishing of the de Là ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½me letter. The Spanish Ambassador wrote the letter, which was published in the Journal, to a friend, in which the diplomat called U.S. President William McKinley â€Å"†¦ a weak man and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd†¦besides being a common politician†¦Ã¢â‚¬ .11 The letter enraged the American and drove them â€Å"to a new level of hysteria†.12 Although the letter did not have major economical or political impact, besides on McKinley’s ego, the social implications were enormous. Hearst and Pulitzer were not the only people who wrote about the conditions in Cuba, there was also E.L. Godkin who was the editor of the weekly Nation. Godkin frequently spoke out against Hearst and Pulitzer accusing them of gross misrepresentation, deliberate invention and unnecessary recklessness. He said â€Å"They were firebrands, tossed into the American crowd in an attempt to ignite a war.†13 No matter how much Godkin spoke out against Hearst and Pulitzer, they continued to dominate the American public with their embellished stories and pro war slants. The American public’s humanitarian concerns came into play after reading these articles. They soon believed how terrible the Cuban conditions were and began to plead the government to take aggressive steps towards Cuban independence. When the U.S. naval ship, the Maine, exploded in Havana Harbor, the American people, and their government were confused about what had happened and who had done it. Many fingers began to point at Spain, but even if Spain had not committed the crime, the suspicion alone by the American people was enough to push the war envelope a bit further. One of the final peaceful solutions to the problems in Cuba, presented by McKinley, was autonomy. This granted the country the right of self-government, however, a large portion of the Cuban population opposed autonomy and soon riots broke out. The battleship Maine simply arrived in Havana for a â€Å"friendly visit† on January 25, 1898 in response to pro-Spanish mobs.14 Suddenly, on the evening of February 15, 1898, at 9:45 PM, the Maine blew up, killing 268 of the crew.15 The explosion was an enormous blow not only to the American people, but to the Spanish and Cuban people as well. Immediately Madrid authorities as well as McKinley want ed to know what had happened and began thorough investigations. On March 21 the U.S. court determined there were two explosions: the first was of a mine under the keel of the Maine, and the second touched off by the initial blast.16 The court however did not fix responsibility for planting the mine. The Spanish board of inquiry, however, had a contrary conclusion, which said that the blast had been sparked by spontaneous combustion of coal.17 The American people were not told about the contrary deductions, but instead were heavily influenced by the Yellow Press who placed the fault of the incident solely on the Spaniards. The public was up in flames and was in agreement that the U.S. would get their revenge on Spain for taking American lives. The Maine explosion, combined with the anti-autonomy riots in Havana effectively changed the American public’s demands from Cuban autonomy to complete independence, which could only be achieved through war. When McKinley was inaugurated as president in 1896 his main political goals were to improve the United States economy and avoid war at all costs. However, McKinley found himself in a tough situation weighing peace against winning the upcoming 1900 election and the strategic benefits of acquiring Cuba. As McKinley was well aware of, the Yellow Press had misconstrued the situation in Cuba, causing the majority of the American population to become eager for war. If McKinley expected to win the upcoming election, he would have to give in to the people’s demands. McKinley also saw the beneficial strategic implications if the U.S. were to acquire Cuba and the Philippines through war. The United States would gain massive sea power by setting up naval bases, and Cuba would be the key to the future security of a U.S. canal in the Caribbean. With this political agenda in McKinley’s mind, he came up with two peaceful courses of action before he would have to declare war. McKinley’s first course of action was a proposal to buy Cuba for $30 million, but Spain quickly rejected this offer.18 Next, on March 29, 1898, Ambassador Stewart Woodford presented the final United States proposal on Cuba, requiring Spain to abandon the reconcentracion policy, proclaim an immediate armistice, and finally accede to Cuba’s independence.19 The Spanish government offered to withdraw the reconcentracion policy and to grant a cease-fire at the insurgents’ request, but refused to grant Cuba its independence.20 The American people were furious with the news, but McKinley, following through with his ultimatum asking Congress, on April 11, 1898, for permission to intervene directly in Cuba. The request was passed once the Teller Amendment, an agreement made disclaiming any intention of annexing Cuba, was adopted.21 The United States had finally entered a war that McKinley had feared, while the American people had been pushing for it all along. There were many factors that created the atmosphere necessary for the Spanish-American War to occur. No one event in itself was enough. But rather, it was the culmination of a sequence of events that created an atmosphere leading to war. The contributing factors that led to the Spanish-American War were economic interests, McKinley’s political agenda, and the sinking of the Maine. The major factor that eventually pushed the United States into war was the Yellow Press and its influence on the American people. The Yellow Press conveyed the facts to the American people in a negative manner, prompting the American people to plead for Cuban intervention through any means necessary. However, historian Wayne Morgan suggests, â€Å"war would have come without the Yellow Press†. 22 Once the nine-month war had ended, with only three months of fighting, the war concluded with the Treaty of Paris, 1898. This treaty gave the United States the colonies of Guam and Puerto Rico, along with the Philippines in return for $20 million.23 Although the Cubans did receive independence from Spain, in 1902 the U.S. created the Platt Amendment, which put Cuban foreign policy under U.S. control and all Cuban economic decisions under subject to U.S. approval.24 Life for Cubans was better, but they still did not have complete independence. Because the United States received the new colonies from Spain, they began to accomplish their imperialistic goals, and increase their national status to compete with the other world powers. President McKinley had tried his best to avoid a war, but the American public left him no choice, nevertheless McKinley succeeded in winning the 1900 elections.25 The Spanish-American War provided the United States with both opportunities and challenges. In 1899, when the United States occupied its new empire, Assistant Secretary of State John Basset Moore observed that the nation had become â€Å"a world power†¦Where formerly we had only commercial interests, we now have territorial and political interests as well.† 26 1 Michael Golay, America At War: The Spanish-American War. (New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1995), 5. 2 The Spanish American War, 1898, [May 2, 2007]. 3 Golay, America At War, 13. 4 Ivan Musicant, Empire By Default: The Spanish-American War and the Dawn of the American Century. (New York: Henry and Company, Inc., 1998), 81-83. 5 Frank Burt Freidel, The Splendid Little War. (Toronto: Little, Brown and Company Limited, 1958), 5-8. 6 Wayne Morgan, America’s Road To Empire: The War With Spain and Overseas Expansion. (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1968), ix-x. 7 The Spanish American War, [May 2, 2007]. 8 Golay, America At War, 14. 9 The Spanish American War, [May 2, 2007]. 10 Golay, America At War, 7. 11 Irving Werstein, 1898: The Spanish-American War. (New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1966) 10. 12 Musicant, Empire By Default, 152. 13 Golay, America At War, 12. 14 Freidel, The Splendid Little War, 8. 15 Albert Nofi, The Spanish-American War, 1898. (Conshohocken: Combined Books, Inc. 1996), 42 16 Nofi, The Spanish-American War, 43. 17 Causes of the Spanish American War. [May 2, 2007]. 18 Causes of the Spanish American War, [May 2, 2007]. 19 Nofi, The Spanish-American War, 44. 20 The Spanish American War, [May 2, 2007]. 21 David Goldfield et al, The American Journey: A History of The United States. (Toronto: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 2002), 427. 22 Morgan, America’s Road To Empire, 14. 23 The Spanish American War, [May 2, 2007]. 24 Goldfield, The American Journey, 430. 25 Goldfield, The American Journey, Appendix A-15 26 Goldfield, The American Journey, 427.

Liberalism

This week essay based on Gerald Macaulay, last week's articles Essay Assignment November 4th Instructions, Guidelines Topics Opinion based on research (secondary) Extension of a week to November 1 lath for any reason 1. What are ideologies 2. Key Feature of Ideologies 3. What Is â€Å"special† about Ideologies? 4. What is the history of the concept? 5. Positive vs.. Negative conception of ideology 6.Complications of studying them What are ideologies? Competing conceptual frameworks Clusters/composites of political beliefs, values and ideas a pattern of social, political, economic, technological and philosophical beliefs that help us organize the world around us. † P. X Grounded in beliefs about human nature and social possibility (what is, and what could be) What do Ideologies do?Explain or Inform – what Is going on? Judge-what should I think about this? Guide political actions- what should do about this? Inform social relations-Who are my allies? My enemies? What Is my relationship to other In this? Etc. Key Features of ideologies Historically contingent-constantly changing/shifting Changes In central concepts (meanings) and also In relation of concepts to other concepts (e. G. Allegations of freedom to equality) Include â€Å"core† and â€Å"adjacent† concepts Both rational and emotional Normative and prescriptive In various affinities/alliances with each other (historically shifting) Include a spectrum of views Frequently claim to be true, to be non-ideological 1 OFF Differentiating ideologies from political theories/philosophies 1) Typicality 2) Influence 3) Conceptual Creativity 4) Communicability History of Ideologies Link to democracy, to concern with public opinion ) As a scientific term of study.

Great Poetry Collections to Read During Every Month of the Year

Great Poetry Collections to Read During Every Month of the Year 7 Great Poetry Collections To Read During Every Month Of The Year Now that April, national poetry month, has passed, you don’t have to put your beloved poetry away until next year. Short of taking a poetry class, or gathering your friends to meet at favorite places that still allow smokers with snapping fingers to enjoy their favorite spoken word artists, why not browse your local book store that remains open because it loves books so much it will not allow the Internet crunch of places like Amazon to close it out of business. Yes, feel the book in your hands folks, and get some new material to last the rest of the year. There are tons of poetry books out there that you have yet to read. Come on, get outside of your box and try something new and quirky. If you are already into quirky, try some romance poetry, or period pieces. It will also motivate you to perform custom writing.  I was recently exposed to the WWI British Poets, which includes Brooke, Owen, Sassoon, Rosenberg and Others, (it’s actually the title), and the entire cont ents had me in analyzing mode much longer than I had anticipated. Here are some of the favorites that seem to withstand time. If you have not read them, what are you waiting for. Grab a book, feel and smell its pages, there is nothing in the world like the smell of a bookstore! Edgar Allen Poe 1809  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ1849, The Raven If you don’t already know this poem you are in for a literary treat. This celebrated piece is pure Poe. The Raven is based on a talking raven that comes to the home of a lover who is falling into madness due to love lost. Those who love rhyming and much alliteration will want to read this one again and again. Emily Dickinson 1830  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ1886, (Any of her collections) You can’t go wrong with a collection by Emily Dickinson. This is one poet whose headstone should have read, â€Å"She did it her way.† Dickinson wrote to write. She did not fit her themes into any one genre, although the words pun, irony, satire and humor will cross your thought process while delving into the many, many lines this poet penned. Ted Hughes 1930-1998, Poet Laureate from 1984 until he died: Birthday Letters Critically acclaimed to be one of the best poets of his generation, Hughes is also famous for his controversial marriage to famous American poet Sylvia Plath, who committed suicide in 1963. Birthday Letters delves into their relationship, and one Last Letter, discovered in October 2010, gets into details what occurred during her last days before her suicide. Langston Hughes 1902 –1967, Montage of a Dream Deferred Mr. Hughes an American poet, social activist, and well-known as one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance wrote Montage in the form of a Jazz session. When reading this beautiful work, get ready to dip and sit, switch and groove, because it reads like a symphony of music from deep in the heart of Harlem, moving the reader uptown and downtown, through the nights and into the following day. Get your groove shoes on and join Mr. Hughes as he reflects the Harlem he loved dearly. Sarfraz Zaidi, MD: You are not who you think you are. Poetry Collection Taking a leap forward to living poets, you may want to read the works by Dr. Zaidi. He is a rising star in the medical field. His expertise with Vitamin D, the thyroid and his stress management techniques are big on you tube. This book of his writing may now always rhyme but he is stressing living in the â€Å"right now† and that is where each and every day should bring us, to our now. Happy Reading!

Magic Johnson essays

Magic Johnson essays Magic Johnson was born in Lansing on August 14, 1959. He is one of 10 children. His fathers name is Earvin, Sr. His mothers name is Christine. His family believes strongly on religion and education before sports. Hes not the only one though who is an athlete in his family. His little sister attended the University of South Carolina on a basketball scholarship. Her nickname was The Sweet E. He attended Everett High School in Lansing Michigan and held a 3.5 grade point average. A sportswriter named Fred Stabley covered games for The Lansing State Journal. He saw Earvin play against another school Holt High School. He thought that magic was unbelievable in the way that he played so he gave him the nickname Magic. In 1977, he led Everett High to win the Michigan state basketball championship. In 1978, as a freshman at Michigan State University, he led his team to a 25 and 5 record. In 1979, he led Michigan State to win the national championships and was named its most valuable player. He decides to turn pro and he is drafted number one in the draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. In 1982, he is named the MVP of the championship series. In 1984, He was given the Pivotal Player: Award of all-around excellence. 5. Summarize briefly three incidents that you would feature if you were to make a movie out of this book. A. I think that everything that I just mentioned in the last question would be excellent to put in a movie about Earvin Magic Johnson. 6. Has this book had any influence on your viewpoint, your way of thinking, or your own ambitions? A. Yes I would have to say that this book has had a big influence on my way of thinking and ambitions. I have always slacked off and thought that if I didnt g et what I needed to done, that I would always have time the next day to get it done. This has taught me that success doesnt come that way, and if I want to be successful, then I...

7 Back to School Tips for Teachers

7 Back to School Tips for Teachers Going back to school after the summer break can be exciting, nerve-racking, and hectic for teachers. The summertime is a time for refreshment and renewal. That is important as the beginning of the school year is the most critical time of the year and it can also be the most stressful. Even during the time off, most teachers are looking for ways to improve their class for the upcoming year. Going back to school gives teachers a chance to make small adjustments or significant changes depending on where they are at in their careers. Most veteran teachers have a pretty decent idea of what they need to do to get ready for the new school year. They typically plan to make a few minor tweaks to their overall approach. Younger teachers may totally revamp their approach to how they teach based on their small sample of experience. First-year teachers often come in excited and with no real idea of what it takes to teach. They have ideas that they think will work only to realize quickly that the application of those ideas is much more difficult than the theory of them. No matter where a teacher is in their career, here are some tips that will help them transition back to school quickly and effectively. Reflect on the Past Experience is the ultimate learning tool. First-year teachers will only have their limited experience as a student teacher on which they can rely. Unfortunately, this small sample does not provide them with much information. Veteran teachers will tell you that you learn more in the first few weeks as a teacher than you did during your entire time in a teacher education program. For teachers with at least one year of experience, reflecting on the past can be a valuable tool. Great teachers are constantly looking for new ideas and methods to apply to their classroom. You should never be afraid to try a new approach, but understand that sometimes it works, sometimes it needs tweaking, and sometimes it will need to be thrown out altogether. Teachers must rely on their experiences when it comes to all aspects of their classroom. A teacher must allow experiences, both good and bad, to guide their overall approach to teaching. It Is a New Year Never come into a school year or classroom with preconceived notions. Every student who walks into your classroom deserves the chance to come in with a clean slate. Teachers may pass along pertinent educational information such as standardized test scores to the next teacher, but they should never pass along information about how a particular student or class behaves. Every class and every student is unique, and a different teacher may get other behavior. A teacher who has preconceived notions can be detrimental to the overall development of a particular student or a group of students. Teachers should want to make judgments about a student or a group of students based on their own unique experiences with them and not those from another teacher. Sometimes a teacher can have a personality conflict with a particular student or class and you never want that to cloud how the next teacher handles their class. Set Goals Every teacher should have a set of expectations or goals that they want their students to reach. Teachers should also have a list of personal goals to improve in specific areas of weakness that they have. Having goals of any kind will give you something to work towards. It is also okay to set goals together with your students. Having a shared set of goals will push both teacher and students to work harder to obtain those goals. It is okay that goals be adjusted either way as the year moves along. Sometimes your goals may be too easy for a particular student or class and sometimes they may be too difficult. It is essential that you set high goals and expectations for all your students. Just remember that every student has their own unique needs. The goals you set for one student, may not be applicable for another. Be Prepared Being prepared is the most important aspect of teaching. Teaching is not an 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. job as many people outside the realm of teaching may  think. It takes a lot of extra time and preparation to do your job effectively. The first day of school for students should never be a teacher’s first day. It takes a lot of time to get ready for school to start. There is a lot of work that needs to be done with both your classroom and your instructional material. A smooth year begins with preparation. A teacher who waits until the last moment to get everything ready is setting themselves up for a rough year. Young teachers need more preparation time than veteran teachers, but even veteran teachers must spend quite a bit of time preparing for the upcoming school year if they plan to have a fantastic year. Set the Tone The first few days and weeks of school will often set the tone for the entire school year. Respect is often won or lost in those first few days and weeks. A teacher should seize that opportunity to establish a solid rapport with their students, but at the same time respectively show them who is in charge. A teacher who comes in with the mindset that they want every student to like them will lose respect quickly, and it will be a difficult year. It is virtually impossible to gain a classes respect as an authoritarian back once you have lost it. Use those first few days and weeks to drill components such as procedures, expectations, and goals. Start out hard as the classroom disciplinarian and then you can ease off as you move throughout the year. Education is a marathon and not a sprint. Do not think that you cannot spend the time to set the tone for the school year. Make these things a priority early and your students will learn more in the long run. Make Contact Getting parents to trust that you have their child’s best interest in mind is paramount. Make extra efforts to contact parents several times within the first few weeks of school. In addition to classroom notes or newsletters, try to contact each parent personally early on by setting up parent meetings, calling them on the phone, emailing them, conducting a home visit, or inviting them up for an open room night. Establishing trustworthy relationships with parents early on when things are going good will make it easier should you begin to have issues. Parents can be your biggest ally, and they can be your biggest enemy. Investing the time and effort early on to win them to your side will make you more effective. Plan Ahead All teachers should plan ahead. It is not easy, but planning does become easier as experience is gained. For example, a teacher can save lots of time by keeping lesson plans from the previous year so that they can use them for the upcoming year. Instead of redeveloping their lesson plans, they make adjustments to them as needed. Teachers can also make copies for several weeks or months of work before school begins. Planning events such as fundraisers and field trips before school starts will save time later. Planning ahead will be beneficial if an emergency occurs and you have to be gone for an extended period of time. Planning also tends to make the overall course of the school year go smoother.

Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations Research Paper - 1

Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations - Research Paper Example In fact, such regulative provisions aim to ensure that the organization’s funds are properly used for the stated purpose. As compared to for-profit organizations, a nonprofit enterprise is not allowed to keep huge amount of surpluses with it. Since a nonprofit organization’s financial management is not liable to take any level of risk, it can operate freely with greater degree of certainty. In contrast, for-profit organizations bear some levels of business risks including debt financing. Generally, both nonprofit organizations and for-profit organizations use the incremental budgeting technique. Undoubtedly, restricted financial management operations can reduce nonprofit organizations’ probability of failure. Introduction The term financial management simply refers to the process of planning toward the future of an individual or a business organization so as to ensure a positive inflow and outflow of cash. To be more specific, â€Å"financial management pertains to the optimal sourcing and utilization of financial resources of a business enterprise†; and the two key processes including resource management and finance operations constitute this process (Sofat & Hiro, 2011, p.20). Theoretical frameworks suggest that the application of financial management techniques in non-profit organizations is entirely different from its application in for-profit organizations. This paper will discuss the financial management practices in nonprofit organization. It will also compare and contrast the applications of financial management techniques in nonprofit organizations with that of for-profit organizations. Core Concepts of Financial Management Core concepts of financial management encompass capital budgeting, cash management, cost of capital, capital structure planning, and dividend policy. Capital budgeting is a financial tool used to analyze whether an organization’s long term investments like new plants, machinery, research and develo pment projects, and other new products are worth pursuing. Cash management activities try to maintain an effective balance between inflow and outflow of cash. From the management view point, cost of capital represents the cost of a firm’s funds including debt and equity. The concept of capital structure refers to the way an organization uses particular combinations of ‘equity, debt, and hybrid securities’. Dividend policy refers to a strategic measure that an organization uses to decide the level of returns to be paid to its shareholders. The application of these financial management concepts depends on a number of factors in addition to the size and nature of the organization. Among them, the firm’s efficacy in applying these concepts is vital in order to exercise a control over the organization’s future cash flows. Therefore, firms usually establish separate finance departments so as to deal with their day to day financial operations. Financial Ma nagement in Nonprofit Organizations Unlike for-profit organizations, the p ­rimary goal of a nonprofit organization is not shareholder value maximization; instead, it intends to meet specific socially desirable needs. As Griswold and Jarvis (2011) point out, nonprofit organizations lack financial flexibility as such institutions heavily depend on resource providers that are not engaged in exchange transaction. The resources provided are

How Can the Internet Assist Organizations with Creating Customer Value Essay

How Can the Internet Assist Organizations with Creating Customer Value through Personalization and Mass Customization - Essay Example When it comes to narrowing down the scope and role of e-marketing and related technologies to a mere aspect of creating value or enhancing customer value, it seems that words are diminishing and the whole aspect can never be explained in its true sense and that it might take years to elucidate such a broad topic. The contributions of e-marketing strategies and organizations in developing and stabilizing many businesses is obvious with the development in the marketing concepts as well as recent researches which are not proving that co-branding, co-creation and third-party inventions have set up new milestones for all the companies; be it some multinational giant or some small entrepreneurial venture. The concepts that have been introduced with an â€Å"e† as a prefix, like; e-commerce, e-trade, e-business, e-marketing, and e-strategy, explain the literal terms of carrying out business via the electronic channel, apparently. However, these terms explain some very broad concepts of internet cram which have proved to be revolutionary, immensely, after the internet boom of the ’90s. Collaborative Networked Organizations (CNOs), those which are also known as â€Å"third-party vendors† and â€Å"fourth party logistics/vendors† and Virtual Customer Communities (VCCs) i.e. the company which exists online only, confirm a soaring prospective as drivers of value co-creation and open innovation. They have also been playing role in driving value specifically in collaborative innovation.  This joint venture has proven that it can amplify malleability and suppleness of the companies’ VCS (Value creation systems) to support responding to an external situation like co-creation or collaborative opportunities (external driver).  

Learning Solutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Learning Solutions - Essay Example As the paper declares students are supposed to craft what they study to be part of themselves. Getting, as well as keeping, ELLs engaged are maybe the most significant steps in creating a flourishing learning outcome. Research has showed that a majority of students in United States universities, particularly Texas, go through their first year of education only to drop out in the second year. This is particularly because the students cannot relate what they learn into their daily lives. It is as if the instructions offered to them make no sense. Relating academic instructions to daily lives is the best technique of making (not only ELLs, but also other) students understand the importance of education. This paper will assist educator to rethink the classroom in a manner that will allow both ELLs and other normal students to feel engaged in classroom activities in order to succeed in their education. Recent research has showed that the classroom design affects levels of interactions, as well as engagement of ELLs. Therefore, the amount of instructions acquired also depends on the classroom design. A study conducted by the National Training Laboratory discovered that only 5% of what is instructed by a lecturer is retained by ELLs . Discussion groups, on the other hand, had a percentage of 50, and normal practice took the day by 70%. Sophocles, a Greek philosopher, was already aware of this when he wrote that a person should learn through doing (practice) things. It is vital to notice that, even though people think that they know how to do something, there is no certainty until that something is tried. This paper outlines that Dekhinet notes that a student should be motivated to practice what they learn in the classroom. He goes on further to argue that educators stress much on students being keen to what they teach and forget the vital fact that allowing them to practice is the key to coming up with a successful education outcome. Therefore, what this paper is advo cating for is that a teacher should also try to incorporate him/herself with the practice belief. A classroom should be set in a manner that gives students a feeling as if they are putting to practice what they are being taught. Such a classroom should be comfortable for both the learners, as well as the educator. Comfortable classrooms, psychologically and physically, keep minds focused, endorse a sense of well-being, and minimize distractions. Hence, a student will be able to capture the instruction more easily. Comfort is not always an experimental phenomenon. However, we know that when a person is uncomfortable, he or she is distracted. Lighting, temperature and furnishings, all have a significant role in an individual being comfortable. Psychological comfort is also vital. Environments, which are uninviting or intimidating, will affect the depth of learning that can occur or acquiring instructions.  

Contingency Perspective Of Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contingency Perspective Of Leadership - Essay Example Leadership is considered as a controlling power that is bestowed on a person to achieve certain aims. The leader, having specific aims, is now responsible to achieve those aims. There are a number of leadership perspectives available to individuals. A true and successful leader, however, is the one who realizes the suitability and effectiveness of certain leadership style on the team and environment he is working with. Contingency perspective of leadership provides such a mechanism where leaders have to be flexible in their attitudes, working and demands. This perspective involves the analysis of situation on which the leader has to decide on things. The contingency approach of leadership is associated with the path-goal theory more closely than others (Dubrin, 2001 pp. 32-34). The path-goal theory follows the same idea as defined in the expectancy theory of motivation. The main idea is the relationship or connection between the leaders behaviours on employee participation and perfor mance in achieving the tasks assigned to them. The path-goal theory is more inclined towards the rewards in order to attain higher motivation of employees and higher performance efficiency. Path-goal theory emphasizes on servant leaders, who are less dominating and more helpful. The leaders working under the contingency perspective of leadership are more like coaches, facilitators and guides to the employee team. Directive leadership which points towards the task-oriented leadership. The leader explains the task clearly, provides a framework to follow and describes the standards against which the performance would be measured. This style of leadership use rewards and payments as a tool of motivation. Supportive Leadership may also be termed as people-oriented leadership. The leader following this style is supportive in actions, words and behaviours. A supportive leader is respectful, honest and pleasant with the employees. Having a friendly attitude,

Kids and reading to them Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kids and reading to them - Essay Example Reading with the kids makes them feel on top of their game. By this, one would mean the consummate ease with which they bring to themselves an understanding of how life’s nuances would be, and how they would be able to tackle the intricacies of the times that are coming up for them. Reading with the kids is the need of the hour because it tells them where they have to grow and develop, and how they shall see the changing realms of life whilst dealing with them on a consistent basis. What is even more interesting is the fact that the children will know that they are being given the attention that they direly require within their midst, as this is a fact that has to see the light of the day. This paper discusses how reading with the kids helps them to grow and develop, and be an important part within this society. The reading element instills in the kids a sense of belongingness that they are bound to learn, analyze and hence understand how life shapes up, and how life’s different turns are handled in the most apt manner. Reading with the kids allows them to feel special; that they are being given the time and energies which shall bear rich fruit as far as their growth and development measures are concerned. What is even more interesting is the fact that the kids need to get in line with the changing norms of the time and for that they have to know what is happening in the world around them (Friedland, 2004). They must be acquainted with the varying norms and routines so that they can achieve results which are complete from all angles. What is even more important is the fact that the kids must adapt to change; and this change shall happen on an incremental basis – for their respective growth and developmental levels nonetheless. It is a well-known fact that the world appreciates if the kids read, study and learn, not only on their own but also with the help and guidance of their elders. Reading makes the kids go wild in their imagination. The y explore the world around them and learn how to implement the same in a practical form (Stewart, 2011). This is a positive undertaking and should always be understood within the relevant angles. Reading with kids allows the parents to comprehend how their kids are shaping up within the study domains and what strengths and weaknesses are within their folds. They would be able to cover up the grey areas that remain within a child’s fore and work upon the strengths to polish them further. It would also tell the parents that their children have some specific preferences as far as career adoption within the future domains is concerned. Hence there is an all-out effort and endeavor on the part of the parents to apprise the kids where they are falling and what they needed to do in order to move ahead further with the passage of time. This is so required because it will tackle the negatives to arise within the kids and keep them at bay with the up and coming issues which might hurt their professional growth and development, and not to forget the personal one as well. How the kids perceive the entire reading process is something that shall be understood properly. This is because the kids want to get acquainted with the changing needs of the time, and this could only be possible if they are on the right track as far as their study realms are concerned. When parents give them the attention the kids learn quickly. It is because the kids know that their parents love them and care for them in the most loving way possible. When they read along with their parents, they come to know the different ways through which a particular language is comprehended, as well as the ways and means through which grammatical and spelling issues are tackled (Demoulin, 2003). The parents teach them how to pronounce words and make use of sentences as are required. They tell them the meanings and definitions of certain words, as well as detail them regarding the sentence structures all the same. Moving ahead with the discussion at hand, the kids need the time of

Sociology - group experiment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sociology - group experiment - Essay Example Immediately almost everyone's attention was turned to us, the pace at which people danced slowed down. Some people looked directly at us and others stared at us through the corner of their eye. 2 couples left the dance floor and the rest continued looking at us either directly or indirectly and were obviously talking about what we were trying to do or our reason for doing this. When the song ended we left the dance floor and nobody approached us later to ask what we were doing. Our basic assumption was that those in the dance floor would expect us to be dancing to the tune of the song being played. Perhaps, they thought, they would have other party goers which they can grind with and show their dance moves. Maybe we were even interested in becoming acquaintances. We assumed that talking and drinking in the dance floor would have the impression of unusualness that would reveal their expectations regarding our assumed behavior. The theoretical and academic framework underlying the breaching experiment is the sociological field of ethnomethodology. It is the study of the way in which people maintain the present social order. It is a contrast to the belief that human behavior is caused by external causal factors or internalized motivations. According to Brinkerhoff, White, Ortega and Weitz (2006), Ethnomethodology stresses that active reason and knowledgeable character of human conduct are the forces that control our social behavior. Harold Garfinkel of the well known musical duo Simon and Garfunkel established a school of ethnomethodology in the 1960, at a time when the structuralism/functionalism was the dominant theory in the field. Garfinkel conducted experiments to prove that the crucial thing governing social exchange were common sense understandings that were unstable and are recreated every day in each social interaction (Bremmer, 2006) .What Garfinkel did was to perform a series of breaching experiments which broke the accepted rules of a social situation. For example, he planned that some students in a group would cheat at tic-tac-toe. According to the structuralists, social order would have broken down, however, the students incorporated the cheating into the rules and continued playing showing that understa ndings are recreated every day (Bremmer, 2006). It is the intent of this student to perform a breaching experiment on his peers in an attempt to observe this phenomenon. This experiment shows that if behavior is not what would be expected and if that behavior would likely impede that goal, friction will arise as was the case in this experiment. In the case of the activity that we conducted, the people dancing in the dance floor seemed not to have a care in the world and were only concerned with the way they and their partners were dancing. My colleagues and I assumed that even though they displayed this unconcerned behavior towards people they don't know or they don't want to get intimate with, they were indeed very sensitive to what is happening around them. We also assumed that these people expected us to be going in the dance floor to dance as if there was an unwritten agreement or contract that everybody understood and complied with. It was common sense to be dancing in the dance floor. According to Bremmer (2006), breaking common sense barriers often lead to bewilderment gradually

Kids and reading to them Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kids and reading to them - Essay Example Reading with the kids makes them feel on top of their game. By this, one would mean the consummate ease with which they bring to themselves an understanding of how life’s nuances would be, and how they would be able to tackle the intricacies of the times that are coming up for them. Reading with the kids is the need of the hour because it tells them where they have to grow and develop, and how they shall see the changing realms of life whilst dealing with them on a consistent basis. What is even more interesting is the fact that the children will know that they are being given the attention that they direly require within their midst, as this is a fact that has to see the light of the day. This paper discusses how reading with the kids helps them to grow and develop, and be an important part within this society. The reading element instills in the kids a sense of belongingness that they are bound to learn, analyze and hence understand how life shapes up, and how life’s different turns are handled in the most apt manner. Reading with the kids allows them to feel special; that they are being given the time and energies which shall bear rich fruit as far as their growth and development measures are concerned. What is even more interesting is the fact that the kids need to get in line with the changing norms of the time and for that they have to know what is happening in the world around them (Friedland, 2004). They must be acquainted with the varying norms and routines so that they can achieve results which are complete from all angles. What is even more important is the fact that the kids must adapt to change; and this change shall happen on an incremental basis – for their respective growth and developmental levels nonetheless. It is a well-known fact that the world appreciates if the kids read, study and learn, not only on their own but also with the help and guidance of their elders. Reading makes the kids go wild in their imagination. The y explore the world around them and learn how to implement the same in a practical form (Stewart, 2011). This is a positive undertaking and should always be understood within the relevant angles. Reading with kids allows the parents to comprehend how their kids are shaping up within the study domains and what strengths and weaknesses are within their folds. They would be able to cover up the grey areas that remain within a child’s fore and work upon the strengths to polish them further. It would also tell the parents that their children have some specific preferences as far as career adoption within the future domains is concerned. Hence there is an all-out effort and endeavor on the part of the parents to apprise the kids where they are falling and what they needed to do in order to move ahead further with the passage of time. This is so required because it will tackle the negatives to arise within the kids and keep them at bay with the up and coming issues which might hurt their professional growth and development, and not to forget the personal one as well. How the kids perceive the entire reading process is something that shall be understood properly. This is because the kids want to get acquainted with the changing needs of the time, and this could only be possible if they are on the right track as far as their study realms are concerned. When parents give them the attention the kids learn quickly. It is because the kids know that their parents love them and care for them in the most loving way possible. When they read along with their parents, they come to know the different ways through which a particular language is comprehended, as well as the ways and means through which grammatical and spelling issues are tackled (Demoulin, 2003). The parents teach them how to pronounce words and make use of sentences as are required. They tell them the meanings and definitions of certain words, as well as detail them regarding the sentence structures all the same. Moving ahead with the discussion at hand, the kids need the time of

La Boheme vs rent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

La Boheme vs rent - Essay Example This is the primary similarity between La Boheme and Rent since they both tell the tale of struggling artists who are trying to get by in a world that does not seem to care much for their art at all. However, this does not mean that they are not happy because the process by which they create art and the manner in which they are rewarded by the creation of their art seems to be enough for them. At the same time, they do wish that their genius was recognized by the world around them but that appears to be only a secondary concern. For the individuals in the plays, love is also an important concern since it governs many aspects of their life and even the works they produce. However, the similarity which stands out between the two plays is death caused by disease that has no cure. For La Boheme, it is tuberculosis while for Rent, it becomes HIV. This similarity also shows that despite the characters living a bohemian life, the reality of death and disease affects them as much as it would affect anyone else in the world. Even their carefree lifestyle cannot protect them from the ravages of disease and eventual death. In Rent however, it is perhaps due to their carefree and careless lifestyle that the individuals are affected by their disease. This is only the first of the differences between the plays since the setting of the plays is also different due to the time and place that separates them. From a Romantic Paris to a post-modern New York, the plays present very different realities even if there are similarities between the characters and the situations they have been placed in. This change in setting means that the dialog, the manner in which the characters interact as well as their social constructs change to reflect the settings. However, in the final analysis, the theme as well as the message of the plays makes it easy to conclude that they plays are more

Walmarts Essay Example for Free

Walmarts Essay Part I describe Walmart expansion As the largest retail chain in the world, Walmart is one of the earliest companies that realize that waiting too long to get into foreign countries would give competitors a lead that would be difficult to close. However, globalization is always a double-edged sword. Despite that Walmart is the world’s largest company with a turnover of $312. 4 billion, Walmart’s results from globalization had been mixed. In 1991, the establishment of Sam’s Club near Mexico City represents takeoff of Walmart’s globalization. In 1998, In 1998, Wal-Mart acquired a controlling interest in Mexicos largest retailer, Cifra, which operated stores throughout the country, ranging from the largest chain of sit-down restaurants to a soft lines (apparel, home furnishings, fabric) department store. In 2000, Wal-Mart changed Cifras name to Wal-Mart de Mexico. Acquisition is a common way in that Walmart goes into other countries’ markets. In March 2004, Wal-Mart Brazil announced the acquisition of Bompreco, a retail chain with 118 units; In late 2005, Wal-Mart acquired the retail operations of  · Sonae Brasil S. A. (Sonae). In 1994, Wal-Mart purchased all 122 Canadian Woolco discount stores. Walmart entered South Korea in July 1998 by acquiring a majority stake in Makro. In the United Kingdom (UK), Wal-Mart had acquired ASDA, a profitable chain in 1999; In the spring of 2000, Walmart moved quickly to finalize its $10. 8 billion deal to acquire the 232-store supermarket chain, which was Walmart’s largest acquisition ever. Acquisition helps Walmart conquer some foreign countries quickly. Some successful examples are Walmart’s practices in Mexico, Brazil and United Kingdom. At the end of 2005, Wai-Mart operated a total of 807 stores in Mexico, including 107 Super centers and 71-SAMS CLUBS. The company employed more than 112,000 associates across the country. as of December 2005, Wal-Mart Brazil operated 22 Wal-Mart Super- centers, 15 Sams Clubs, and 2 Todo Dias and 116 Balaio discount stores. Employing about 28,000 associates, Wal-Mart was the sixth-largest retailer in Brazil. In December 2005, Wal-Mart had 273_ASDA Super Centers, 21 ASDA! Wal-Mart Supercenters, 10 GEORGE stores, and 5 ASDA Living stores and 4 ASDA Small Town stores in the UK. The company employed more than 150,000 people in the UK. Acquisition is not a master key to door of any country, some failures remind Walmart to reconsider its global strategy. In Canada, Walmart’s initial operation did not get off to the right start. Indeed, for the first three years (1995-97) Wal-Mart Canada showed major losses. Fortunately, things got improved subsequently. But the luck did not last to Korean market: In May 2006, Wal-Mart announced that it would sell all 16 of its South Korean stores to Shinsegae and exit from Korean market. It is not fair to entirely account Walmart’s losses in Canadian and Korean markets for failure of acquisition strategy. Expansion globally is always a systematic and complicated process, in which a lot of factors need to considered, such as politics, diet habits, consuming psychology etc.. Looking the history of Walmart’s expansion through, Walmart was used to, or had to, apply joint venture under tight restrictions in foreign countries. And it is indeed hard to evaluate whether joint venture is an ideal approach or not. Wal-Mart had entered Indonesia, attracted by the worlds fourth most populous country. The retailer faced numerous challenges in a country where retailers operated under tight restrictions?. Walmart teamed up with Lippo Group. However, the development of Walmart Indonesia was not smooth as expected. China is another country where Walmart had to partner with other to practice its expansion strategy. Walmart and other foreign retailers had to offer a 35 percent stake in each store to a Chinese joint venture partner and were restricted to a territory of approximately 40 cities each. After China joined WTO, Walmart obtained greater management authority. Meanwhile, Walmart became actively involved in government relations and started talking directly with Chinese government officials at both local and national levels and through trade groups in both the United States and China. In December 2005, Walmart had 46 Supercenters, 3 Sams Clubs, and 2 Neighborhood Markets in China, together employing more than 27,000 associates. However, at the end of 2006, Walmart was laying the groundwork to become the biggest foreign chain in China with the $1 billion purchase of a major retailer-a Taiwanese-owned supermarket chain called Trust-Mart- which-would more than double its presence in China. And in Wuhan, a Chinese city with a population of approximately 10 millions, there is only one Walmart supercenter. Compared with McDonald’s, it is safe to say that Walmart has a long way to go to complete its global expansion. Part II Top management orientation in Walmart: The orientation of top management refers to the degree of domination of the MNE headquarters over subsidiary management and HR practices as compared to the degree of localization of subsidiary practices. In my opinion, Walmart’s senior management orientation is Geocentrism. The most significant characteristic of Walmart is its perpetuation: Walmart hires best employers all over the world, and is willing to train them to take key positions everywhere in the world, which typically matches the requirement of Geocentrism. In addition, a word â€Å"localization† is usually connected with â€Å"globalization†. As a multinational Enterprise, Walmart’s global strategy determines that Walmart has to localize itself from Decision Making to Evaluation, from Rewards to Punishment. On the other side, Wal-Marts approach to competing in overseas markets had evolved over time. But three main ingredients never change: Brand names (Wal-Mart and · Sams Club), Every Day Low Price (EDLP) strategy, and ethical standards. In order to keep its core value, Walmart need to figure out the balance between localization and standardization. The only flaw, I think, is Walmart information flow. There is no doubt that Walmart’s subsidiaries have smooth channel to communicate with headquarter. However, based on my research, there is not so many practices to strengthen communication among subsidiaries. In any case, we cannot deny that Walmart is Geocentrism. Value Culture: As the largest retail company, Walmart must focus on customer and quality. Actually, that’s exactly what they do. The customer is No. 1 in the Walmart culture, and they are putting tremendous effort into understanding customers and serving them in new ways. Its Global Customer Insights group is developing world-class analytics to identify customer trends and support merchandising and marketing decision-making within the business. At the same time, the importance of getting even closer to our customers is always emphasized throughout their ranks. Business Model Behaviors: To satisfy customers’ one-stop shopping experience, Walmart regards a broader assortment as the approach to attract customers. In 2012, Walmart added back more than 10,000 products across hundreds of merchandise categories. Walmart selects suppliers with high standards, assuring that it is the first to be offered new innovative products. Meanwhile, Walmart continue to fine-tune its offerings. All kinds of national brands, private brands and opening price point products can be seen in Walmart, to adapt different tastes. As we all acknowledged, â€Å"Every Day Low Price(EDLP)† is one of the most important ingredients of Walmart. EDLP is the result of Walmart’s everyday low cost (EDLC) philosophy. Walmart lowers costs by reducing expenses, increasing productivity and leveraging technology to improve efficiency throughout our supply chain and our operations. And as the largest retail company, occupying an important role in many countries’ retail markets, Walmart are able to negotiate with suppliers to obtain lower prices. For example, in Mexico, Since Walmart had more purchasing power than the next 17 largest Latin American retailers combined, it was able to negotiate price discounts from its suppliers and generate economies of scale. Walmart attempts to develop a variety of channels – core supercenters, smaller formats such as Neighborhood Market and Walmart Express, and eCommerce. The rise of Internet has Walmart pay attention to online business. Site to Store and Pick Up Today, which provide shopping alternative to Walmart customers, promote its online business grow. KPC: Compliance Integrity: Walmart is implementing a stronger global compliance organization. The job of every Walmart associate must begin with integrity. Ethics and compliance are non-negotiable. Walmart aligns its global compliance, ethics, investigations, and legal functions under one organization. In addition, full compliance with all laws and regulations is premise that they operate in any markets. Walmart has improved its compliance programs significantly and taken appropriate action for any instance of non-compliance. We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made through training, new processes and procedures and recruiting exceptionally strong talent to fill new roles. Acceptance of Diversity: When people mention Walmart today, it is not a certain national company any more. â€Å"Globalization† has stamped deep brands on Walmart. With its expansion, both employees and customers have different skin colors, languages, tastes and consume concepts. In this situation, acceptance of diversity plays more critical role in Walmart’s development. Part III a. China’s Twelve pillars First pillar: Institutions. The quality of institutions has a strong bearing on competitiveness and growth. China’s institution ranked in the middle of all surveyed countries (50th ). Second pillar: Infrastructure. Well-developed infrastructure reduces the effect of distance between regions, integrating the national market and connecting it at low cost to markets in other countries and regions. China ranked on 48th with a score of 4,46. Third pillar: Macroeconomic environment. The stability of the macroeconomic environment is important for business and, therefore, is important for the overall competitiveness of a country. China’s macroeconomic situation remains very favorable, 11th of 144 countries. Fourth pillar: Health and primary education. A healthy workforce is vital to a country’s competitiveness and productivity. Workers who are? ill cannot function to their potential and will be less productive. China receives relatively high marks in health and basic education (35th) and enrollment figures for higher education are also on the rise, Fifth pillar: Higher education and training . Quality higher education and training is particularly crucial for economies that want to move up the value chain beyond simple production processes and products. China places on 62th with a score of 4. 32 Sixth pillar: Goods market efficiency. Countries with efficient goods markets are well positioned to produce the right mix of products and services given their particular supply-and-demand conditions, as well as to ensure that these goods can? be most effectively traded in the economy. Chinese market efficiency places 59th(down 14). In this ? illar, insufficient domestic and foreign competition is? of particular concern, as the various barriers to entry appear to be more prevalent and more important than? in previous years. Seventh pillar: Labor market efficiency. The efficiency and flexibility of the labor market are critical for ensuring that workers are allocated to their most effective use in the economy and provided with incentives to give their best effort in their jobs. China has the greatest number of labor in the world. However, due to deficiency of efficiency and flexibility, China only ranks on 41th. Eighth pillar: Financial market development. The recent economic crisis has highlighted the central role of a sound and well-functioning financial sector? for economic activities. Ninth pillar: Technological readiness. The technological readiness pillar measures the agility with which an economy adopts existing technologies to enhance the productivity of its industries, with specific emphasis on its capacity to fully leverage information and communication technologies (ICT) in daily activities and production processes for increased efficiency and enabling innovation for competitiveness. For China, technological readiness takes a place of 88th(down 11), which has negative influence on Chinese competitives. Tenth pillar: Market size . The size of the market affects productivity since large markets allow firms to exploit economies of scale. In the era of globalization, international markets can to a certain extent substitute for domestic markets, especially for small countries. China has the largest population in the world. With the increase of consume level, China is the second market in the world. Eleventh pillar: Business sophistication. Business sophistication concerns two elements that are intricately linked: the quality of a country’s overall business networks and the quality of individual firms’ operations and strategies. With a score of 4. 25 (45th), there is huge space for China’s firms to improve their operation and strategies. Twelfth pillar: Innovation. The final pillar of competitiveness focuses on technological innovation. Compared with last pillar, China shows better performance on innovation – placing 33th with a score of 3. 85.

Promotion of Gender Roles Before Adolescence Essay -- Exploratory Essa

Promotion of Gender Roles Before Adolescence Jennifer Scanlon analyzes four popular board games for preteen girls in her essay, â€Å"Boys-R-Us: Board Games and the Socialization of Young Adolescent Girls.† She describes the attributes of each game in great detail and concludes, â€Å"these sex-stereotyped games promote damaging stereotypes, passive rather than active play, and skills that fall short of girls’ cognitive abilities† (480). The characters in each of the games are portrayed in limited gender-specific roles and promote male, race, wealth, and heterosexual privilege in our society. Based on the fact that the objective in the majority of these games is to get a boyfriend, Scanlon suggests that young girls are being taught subservience to men and forming a personal identity based on relationships with men. She concludes by stating, â€Å"these board games†¦frame a world of limited possibilities for girls† (480). I agree with most of Scanlon’s arguments in her essay about the dangers of gender-specific games during the formative years of female adolescence. Games such as these seem innocent to parents and even cool to their intended audience. But the messages that sex-stereotyped games are sending can be damaging to the self and gender-perception of adolescent girls. Gender specific stereotypes can become rooted in a maturing, young girl’s mind and have a negative affect on her sense of self worth and personal abilities. The portion of Scanlon’s essay that I disagree with is the statement, â€Å"the least gender-specific toys and games in the stores are, arguably, those in the baby and toddler section† (472). My theory is that children are taught appropriate gender role behaviors through play long bef... ...y. And if we start this process at such a young age, we will have molded our children into stereotypical citizens very well by the time they are adolescents. The board games that Jennifer Scanlon writes about will only serve to reinforce the gender perceptions children have already learned. In order to raise caring men and assertive women the practice of labeling toys for gender-specific play needs to stop. But as long as babies are wearing their pink or blue booties, that day will probably never come. Works Cited Scanlon, Jennifer. Boys-R-Us: Board Games and the Socialization of Young Adolescent Girls. Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Maasik, Sonia, and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 472-480. Toysrus.com. Copyright 1996-2002 Amazon.com, Inc. 2 Mar. 2002.

Consumer Alert Essay -- essays research papers fc

Consumer Alert In an era when free enterprise is the key to an efficient, productive, and successful country, business sometimes digresses from their true duties of producing goods and services at an honest and decent price. Consumer Alert, founded in 1977, was founded with a single purpose in mind: "to advance the consumer interest through advocacy of free-market solutions to consumer dissatisfaction and scrutiny of any action which discourages competition in the marketplace." Consumer Alert was founded in 1977 as a national, non-profit membership organization for people concerned about excessive growth of government regulation at the national and state levels. Consumer Alert's mission is to inform the public about the consumer benefits of competitive enterprise and to expose the flawed economic, scientific and risk data that underlie certain public policies. Now, Consumer Alert is the home to the spare time of over 6,000 volunteers. Each of these volunteers donate their valuable time to Consumer Alert for the sole reason of upholding high ethics within the American marketplace. Anyone can become a member. The only qualification is that the individual have a distinct and strong faith in competitive enterprise, a healthy skepticism of government solutions, a dislike of government related monopolies, labor, or business, and be in the favor of safe technology, free trade, smaller government and lower taxes...

Haddon House

Jurists Haddam House Food Products has over 50 years of experience in the gourmet food industry. As you know our inventory selection is more than 20,000 items which consists of major brand within ethnic and gourmet categories. One of our most popular brands is Cane's Crazy Mixed-up seasonings. Haddam House is very strong when it comes to selling our products. However, Haddam House needs improvement when it comes to employee turnover.Haddam House has three major locations, two locations in New Jersey, and one in South Carolina. There are 60 people who work in our corporate office and about 700-800 sales representative. Looking back at the last five years there has only been four employees who have been promoted and a handful of employees who left the company or got terminated. It is clear that these promotions happened because the supervisor of Accounts Payable decided to leave the company because she was moving out of state.This left her position open which then the supervisor of Acc ount Receivable decided to take her position this way one of her employees could become the supervisor. This may not be considered a promotion because she was already a supervisor Just moving to a new department. Furthermore, the young lady working in customer service has only been employed with the company for two years and she has a tough time trying to get promoted In addition to the employees in the cooperate office looking at the sales representative there have been at least three employees getting terminated each week.That is a really high number and it should not be like this at all. It should be in the company's strong interest to want to keep their employees. There are many times where a sales representative will leave the company and then get hired again a month later. There are many questions that come with that. Are they leaving the company because their pay is not high enough and then Join the company later to get a better pay increase?This problem can be avoided if the sales representative can give their feedback and the company takes it into consideration to better improve the company. . There is an even amount of males and females that leave the company each year. However, by looking at the numbers more females feel the need to get remoter and have the highest Job whereas, the males feel comfortable in their position. One good aspect about Haddam House is that there are an equal number of males and females in the company.The company is also very diverse. Another variable that we looked into was if there was a correlation between education and promotion within the company. With any other company if a person gets a higher education it can give them a chance to get promoted in the company. However, with this company it rarely happens. Employees feel that when they get hired for a position it does not matter if they further their education they will be stuck that session.This comes to be a big problem because individuals do not want to keep looking for a Job because they cannot go further. Haddam house is very particular with who is in the right position and they fear that only these people are right for the Job. It would help them in the long run if they were willing to trust more people and willing to promote more people than they do now. If they can get past this threshold they may notice an increase in moral and loyalty. Which will help people stay in the company and keep it a happy and healthy environment.

2012: It’s the End of the World Essay

If you had only one more day to live, how would you want to spend it? Who would you want to spend it with? There are currently 6,773,643,360 people in the world, of course give or take a few, and in a mere 3 years and seven months, every single one of those people may be faced with that same question. Forty-Four months, 1,309 days, 31,416 hours; no matter how you look at it, that’s all you have left, as some would say. Many people have heard of the ancient Mayans, and know that they reigned thousands of years ago. What they may not know is one little invention of theirs could impact the lifespan of every human being today and future. â€Å"The Mayans started their calendar on August 11, 3114 BC, and they conclude it on December 21st 2012 (Greyl 80). † There are many who believe this day will be the end, as we know it; all living creatures will cease to exist. There are possible theories on how the world will end, some scientific and mathematical, and others based on astrology, but no matter the theory, there is a chance you and I will perish with the other six billion humans in 2012. Unnerving? Yes. Realistic? See more: Beowulf essay essay Maybe. This Apocalyptic theory provides scientific evidence to support it, yet scholars are unlikely to believe it. Everything has a beginning and an end but no matter how many facts or possibilities presented, people are going to be unwilling to accept the apocalypse of 2012. End of the world theories have been around for ages; they have come and gone with perhaps some cause for fright, but obviously nothing too damaging. Apocalypse theories are terrifying yet captivating; there are numerous books on the matter, and even the movie business has felt it is something to pay attention to. With all of this information available, people are aware of it, yet they still are not accepting. Apocalypse theories are enticing to humans because we are conscious of the fact we could die at any moment. Humans are selfish by nature, so they are interested in anything that could cause them discomfort or pain. We also like to be in the know, so it would be convenient to be aware of what was going to happen everyday. We would like to have the opportunity to control our lives or try to change the issues upsetting us. Why do you think people pay for fortunetellers and psychics? Any knowledge we can get about the future, the better off we are. This being said, it is clear that people are interested in the theory, yet unwilling to accept it as true. It is my belief the people who are most likely to believe this phenomenon are religious, and believe in The Bible’s Armageddon, the final battle between God and Satin. I will go into more detail about this theory later, but simply those who know The Bible and follow God believe the world will end eventually. They just might not believe the Apocalypse of 2012 because no one, not even Jesus, is supposed to know the date the world will end. On the other end of the spectrum there are the people who find it highly unlikely for the world to end anytime soon, as their thinking is based more on a scientific level. They believe the world was formed through the big bang, and think the only way the world can end is through another universal mishap. Which there are scientific explanations, but the fact is, people just don’t want to believe the world is going to end. Besides, it’s too big of a risk to start planning your life around it. What if the world didn’t end, and you had spent all of you money, quit your job, and ruined all of your relationships? There have been many end of the world prophecies; the entire Y2K fiasco proved to be nothing serious that it is just easier to ignore these predications. I suppose scholars are so unwilling to believe the 2012 apocalypse is because they feel like the little evidence there is, is not concrete. People are basing this off of a civilization that lived about 3,000 years ago and who had no technology to be able to predict some event like this. Simply put, the Mayans put too much religion into their prophecies to be able to make it scientific enough for scholars to take seriously. The prospect of Apocalypse 2012 ultimately serves as a projective test for anyone who contemplates it. The ones most open to post-2012 reality are those who have the least to lose in the coming upheaval. (Lawrence 75). † â€Å"But I think doomsday has a profound if unspeakable allure for those who are unhappy with themselves, their society, their Maker. Accepting that doomsday is imminent provides the believer with immense satisfaction—that he or she possesses the most important knowledge in the world and that all other pursuits are trivial or misguided. It’s a form of vicarious revenge that anyone can take on life’s unfairness (Lawrence 213). †

Statement of Interests

â€Å"Studies! Studies! Studies! You have no time for indulgence; there is not much time for games or hobbies. They are luxuries.† These words are still ringing in my years. It is an unforgettable period of my life-the tough days at campus that has made me whip myself to be a top performer in my curriculum. It was tough studying in Kenya, where the facilities are limited but the curriculum is overwhelming. The standards expected by our universities were different where an overall GPA of 2.65 was meritorious and the performer was a topper [if it were more it would have spoken poorly of the syllabus, training as well as grading].A tremendous capacity for hard work and focused efforts made me one such performer, and has enabled me to apply for this program of MSIS. I have acquainted myself with many computer applications and through intense self-motivation I have learnt these by trial and error – This field of technology is fascinating because it is the most relevant in the current scenario. Moreover, Information Technology is evolving day after day and there is no end to innovation in this field. Getting systematic hands on training is my intention and this program is sure to provide me the chance. This will enable me to enhance my skills and I shall use the practical knowledge acquired here to improve my creative skills, thereby excelling in my future career. . I have dreamt of a lucrative career in this field, one that is full of self-improvement and that gives room for novelty every day. It is fascinating to see how information is passed on through an organization while at the same time is being integrated with and aided by newer and newer computer programs and applications. In Kenya, the system of education focuses a lot on theory and not practical applications. I need to apply the intense theoretical knowledge I acquired all these years and this can only be achieved here .This MSIS Program will provide me with a specialized knowledge of Information Systems and expose the student to practical applications in systems analysis and design.   Moreover, choice of   electives in ERP, , problem formulation ,decision supporting systems   and electronic commerce application theories   would provide one with   new   skill sets   and enhance existing ideas   . My aim is to be an expert problem solver, using technology to achieve strategic advantage in modern organizations .   It has been a longstanding dream to pursue a Masters’ in the US and to seek prestigious employment in the field of Information Technology and be that high-flying executive who is a big asset to a Fortune 500 company. As my desire is to hold a position of significance in a huge company, the necessary expertise to analyse, synthesise and evaluate situations to make sound decisions is imperative. The integrated approach of experimentation and analysis offered by the MSIS Program would provide my longed-for practical training and help me be an expert System Creator. I would ultimately go back to my homeland where managers of superior skills are in short supply and then I would be able to make good use of all the experience acquired over here. My performance in underprivileged circumstances stands testimony to my hard work and motivation. I am very meticulous and systematic by nature and my attention to detail is sure to stand me in good stead in this logical field of Information Systems. I would make the best of the great opportunity in the U.S. and the training acquired here would stay through the rest of my career, helping me achieve my ambition in life. There is also the fond hope and wish that one can fit in extra hobbies within the time available, given the desire and proper time management. Dear student, I have written your essay and I sincerely pray that you get admission into a good school, thereby fulfilling your ambition in life.   I have written quite forcefully about your overall grade being very meritorious because I was worried that if, by chance, it fell short of the cutoff, the tough conditions in Kenya should at least speak strongly in your favor.   However, I would like to make a few suggestions. 1. I have mentioned a few electives that I thought may best suit you [you have to impress upon the panel that you are very focused in what you want and cannot be general all the time]. . Now, you go through this very carefully and use your discretion to include or eliminate the names [as you think fit]. You will be able to get an idea if you read the brochure of the schools, and the electives offered. However, see that it coordinates with the general theme and tone of the essay. If something of your aptitude is more logical then you can include that also. Another suggestion would be that you do some home work on all that you have written before you attend your interview [if there is a personal interview-] you must give very precise answers and nothing should be vague or generalized. That will give an unfavorable impression. I have just mentioned about the ‘tough’ days in campus-you may add the number of years-say—â€Å" 5/6/7/ years of   life in Boarding school and the five/four year period of Engineering   college’[yearsxxxx-yyyy]. As the question stresses on what this program would help you achieve, I have not highlighted your hobbies and other interests. [You did not have time or the facility to shine in any hobby of yours from what I could gather. There was no point in highlighting this in your essay.] However, you can make a discreet mention in your c.v. WISH YOU ALL THE BEST IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVOURS AND HOPE YOU GET ADMISSION IN THE SCHOOL OF YOUR CHOICE! Writer 7160.

Audience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Audience - Essay Example This will allow me to satisfactorily accomplish my mission and become well qualified for a good job in our highly competitive job market. As per my resume, you have seen that my academic performance is exemplary and you have not received any disciplinary complaint or any issue from the lecturers. This proves that indeed your finances are being put into good use. Mother, I always read the scriptures, meditate and say my prayers to Buddha. Father, I always steer clear of trouble and I keep good company. I am your investment and after this final year, I will come home and show all of you that indeed I am a respectable and resourceful person in society. You raised me and showed me by example what kind of person to be. As the wise say ‘Giving your child a skill is better than giving him one thousand pieces of gold.’ Mother, father, kindly finance me for only one more year. I have never and will never let you

Observing .... ( write observing whom it depends who you are Essay

Observing .... ( write observing whom it depends who you are interviewing ) - Essay Example Introduction Over the weekend, I decided to attend a musical event hosted the Samba Reggae School of Michigan. The event was held on November 17, 2013 along the famous Grand Haven beach of Lake Michigan. It was organized by the Samba Reggae School in collaboration with local fans. It was a daytime event taking place between 12pm to 7pm in the evening. Since I had no opportunity of purchasing advanced tickets, I decided to get rush tickets at the beach, which were retailing at a price of $11.50. This event was a Samba Reggae concert meant for ceremonial and entertainment purposes. The guest artist was Luis Vieira, one of the most popular Samba Reggae artists in South America. The ceremonial event started with a rehearsal by a local percussion team followed by dances and major performance by the guest artist. The entire program for the concert was available at the gate free of charge. Samba Reggae Music At this juncture, we will evaluate integral aspects of Samba Reggae music as used w ithin the context of Brazilian traditional practices. First, it is worth acknowledging the fact that Samba Reggae derives its roots from a combination of Brazilian Samba genre and the Jamaican Reggae music (Pessanha and McGowan 23). A proportional blend between these two distinct genres gave birth to Samba Reggae, a music characterized by moderate tempo instrumentals with frequency ranging from 90-120 beats per minute. Samba Reggae is known for its close association with Carnival ceremony in Brazil, which involves dancers parading through residential villages while dressed in artifacts representing society’s values. It was originally an African ceremony brought into South America by slaves from West Africa. Currently, Samba Reggae is one of the most popular musical genres in Brazil and other Southern nations like Colombia. Personal Experience on the Event Prior to attending the music concert, I was not thoroughly conversant with events taking place in a Samba Reggae concert. I was used to seeing street dancers in television dressed in colorful attire and making magnificent patterns in their dancing formations. Therefore, this concert was my perfect opportunity to experience a Brazilian ceremonial event marked by musical performances. Chronological happenings in the beach were initiated by entrance by the two hosts carrying Samba Reggae flags followed by a short rehearsal performance by two local Samba bands. After the rehearsal, the drum session started preparing for the eagerly awaited Samba parade. The colorful parade which featured approximately 100 dancers of both genders lasted for about 2 hours. Finally, the guest artist, Luis Vieira, was invited to give his 1-hour energetic performance featuring top ten of his best tunes. After experiencing a Samba Reggae concert in person, I developed a high-spirited attitude towards involvement in such colorful events. In the past, I was used to experience Samba Reggae music in recorded videos or audio versions . However, attending an actual concert inspired me to start learning detailed concepts about Brazilian traditional ceremonies, especially the role of music in those ceremonies. In conventional context, I used to lose interest after listening to tunes from this genre for a consecutive 20 minutes. However, the concert was not only fun but also thrilling. Watching real people performing dancing moves